Robotic Queen
by Woona The Cat
Summary: From a young age, no one believed in her. Bullied, friendless, and isolated from the rest, Itsuku learned to rely only on herself. The world wasn't a sunny and lovely place. It was cruel and unfair. However, a Hero was supposed to smile bravely while saving the day. But how does a machine, forged by years of neglect and solitude, learn to be happy again and smile? Fem!Izuku
1. Prologue: Program Start

Disclaimer: I own no rights to Boku no Hero Academia

Summary: From a young age, no one believed in her. Bullied, friendless, isolated from the rest, Itsuku learned to rely only on herself. A Hero is supposed to smile bravely while saving the day, but how does a machine, forged by years of neglect and solitude, learn to be happy again?

* * *

Prologue: Program Start

Hero.

To a young Midoriya Itsuku, that word meant everything, a crystallization of the greatest ideals of mankind. All her life, from the first moment she could remember, she idolized heroes and heroines with thinly veiled fascination. No matter how big or small, she loved them and everything that they stood for. For hours upon hours, she would simply watch her favorite heroes save the day, her young mind in awe.

In an ever-evolving world where Quirks, supernatural abilities that manifested in humans, dominated the public eye, the natural tendency of humans to abuse power gave way to danger. Like in the long-forgotten comics of old from hundreds of years ago, Villains appeared, eager to use their newfound power to destroy, control, and dominate the masses. And like in those old stories, Heroes rose to meet them.

All around the world, Pro-Heroes were birthed to combat the rising tide of evil as crime rates soared and respect for the law and humanity were increasingly ignored. The mundane police and army, as respected as they were, could no longer keep up with the pace of evolution. What could one do with bullets if a Villain was able to control metal? What could one do with tanks and bombs when a smirking madman could infest the minds of an entire country from hundreds of miles away? What hope did a single Quirkless human have against an enemy the size of a mountain?

Only the Quirked could combat the Quirked. That was the logic that now dictated the world.

Nowadays, that was just an understood truth. With 80% of the population manifesting a Quirk at a young age, the era of "normal" humans had ended long ago. Great Heroes like All-Might had taken center stage as the Symbol of Peace, enthralling the entire world with his unparalleled strength and ability to combat evil, all while smiling. Where once nations had banded together to hold the world together, one man stood as the one to bear it all.

For Itsuku, she was waiting for the day that her own Quirk would manifest, allowing her to start on the path to becoming a heroine, her dream. She watched on in awe as her classmates and even first friend, Kacchan, developed amazing quirks. She had always been fascinated by them, observing even the most dismissible power with unfettered fascination. Still, she could appreciate powerful and awesome Quirks like the next kid.

Kacchan's was especially impressive. His Explosive Quirk combined with his already impressive athletic and academic potential made him stand out. His desire to be the best and always strive for the best was inspiring in many ways. She couldn't wait to join him on his quest to be the best.

So, she waited for her own Quirk to manifest, dreaming every night of a day where she'd wake up and be able to control the wind, or walk through walls, or control animals, or be able to duplicate items. Then she would be able to take the stage with her friends and become heroes.

The age of four came and went, and then her fifth birthday quickly approached. Still, nothing had appeared. Not even a small spark of power seemed to emanate from her small frame, and one fateful day, she learned the truth.

"You won't ever manifest a quirk."

Simple, cold, uncaring…Those six words crushed her. Overnight, her dreams were stomped on, grinded to dust and blown away by the wind until nothing but a small speck of hope remained. She had wept, her young mind cursing the world for its cruelty as her mother tearfully hugged her close, her finger shakily pointing at her favorite hero saving the day.

She wanted to be like him, be like everyone else…

"I…can…still be a…hero, right?"

Nothing ever came from asking that question…nothing but apologies and tears.

* * *

A year had passed since Itsuku had learned she was Quirkless, and similarly it had been a year since her life had turned for the worse. Her classmates and "friends" mocked and ridiculed her every day for her inability to fit in, taunting her with her helpless nature and isolating her from the rest of the "normal" kids. Even Katsuki had turned into a bully and was at the head of it more often than not. That hurt more than she'd like to admit. Someone with power was supposed to protect people, not hurt them.

Her thoughts on the matter were quickly dismissed though as insults and jeers were thrown her way at every possible moment.

"Worthless!"

"Loser!"

"Dummy!"

"Weirdo!"

"Quirkless!"

"Charity!"

That name she hated the most. Her own name had been turned against her, and it hurt hearing everyone in her class refer to it so derisively. She tried to be strong, to bear the weight of her peer's incessant cruelty, but at the end of the day, she was only human.

Gone was the young and vibrant girl who smiled every day, and instead in her place, a scared and scarred young girl appeared, unable to stand up for herself and unable to say anything in the face of her tormentors. Still, she persevered, doing her best to always smile, just like her favorite hero.

Even now, she still wanted to be…

"Tch, are you still following us around? Get lost Charity Case!" Katsuki roared, his palms spiking as he traipsed through the woods with his two friends in tow, "I don't need your slow butt holding me back!"

"But…but…" Itsuku mumbled as she struggled to keep up with her childhood friend, ignoring the small scratches and her hurting feet. She had been hoping to play today…

"I said GET LOST!" he screeched, sparking a bigger explosion that rattled the trees overhead, uncaring of the fact that his explosion had knocked the girl to her back, "I'm not going to tell you again! You freaking useless side-character!"

Itsuku tried to respond, but her shaking form was quickly abandoned as the three boys disappeared underneath the trees. Smile she told herself. Grin and bear it. Everything was fine.

All of it was lies. The tears wouldn't stop coming no matter what she told herself. She collapsed into a ball on the ground and cried. There wasn't anything wrong with her, yet why did it seem like everybody treated her like it?

Why did it matter if she had a Quirk or not? What had she ever done to receive such cruel treatment from her classmates? The teachers didn't care, and no one had ever told her that it would be okay. There was no one that understood her, no one she could turn to. She was absolutely and completely alone.

She hated feeling so powerless, underappreciated, and abandoned. Didn't anyone understand that no one hurt more about the fact that she was powerless than her?

"I hate you, Kacchan!" she screamed at the shadowed forest, rubbing her eyes as the tears streamed down her face. Everything was wrong. She had no friends, no father, no Quirk, no future…

In that singular moment, something died inside of Itsuku. Her eyes, once always bright and hopeful, dimmed. The world seemed to lose color as the sky darkened in her eyes. It was a cruel world, one filled with Villains, bullies and unfairness. No tears, complaints or whining would ever change that. There was no one to rely on…no one but herself.

Silent and suddenly mute, the young girl wiped her tears and stood. Itsuku would never forget, and she vowed to one day prove everyone wrong. Her small fists balled as she stared into the unforgiving blackness of the forest, swearing it to herself.

She didn't care if her once-friend had the ability to produce explosions from his nitroglycerin-like producing sweat glands, she'd beat him one day. She'd stand atop the mountain and prove to everyone that she was…

Itsuku blinked, reviewing that thought in her head.

What was nitroglycerin anyway?

How did she even know that word? Much less, how it related to Katsuki's Quirk…

She closed her eyes and focused on that feeling again, and suddenly, a wealth of information appeared. His current explosion radius, range of effectiveness, limiting reactions, time to tire, and weaknesses were all laid out bare in her mind's eye. Things she couldn't have possibly understood were plainly conveyed to her.

A small tugging on the corner of her lips was the only indication that she had discovered something amazing, and as she walked away, her steps eerily uniform, she made a new promise to herself.

She did have a Quirk.

And Itsuku was going to use it to its fullest to become the greatest Heroine the world had ever seen.

* * *

Things changed drastically in the following years.

She was still friendless and considered a social outcast among her peers for being "Quirkless", but Itsuku couldn't bring herself to care any longer. Instead she decided to focus on herself, doing everything she could to work towards her dream as everyone around her either pitied or ridiculed her. They paid no mind to her nearly flawless academic record, her nearly inhuman, relative to the Quirkless, athletic performance, or her large array of extracurricular activities that she had taken upon herself. All that mattered to them was that she was Quirkless. She was okay with that.

The young girl who wore her emotions on her sleeves was gone. The childlike wonder of the world ceased to exist for her. Playing games, hanging out with friends, joking about dumb things…She forsook them all for her one goal.

She had to be perfect. Everything she did had to be executed with the utmost best of her abilities. Itsuku didn't have the leeway for anything else. There was no time for distractions, and she didn't want any.

Inko didn't know what to do anymore.

She knew she had been a horrible mother, unable to even muster up the courage to ask her daughter about how she felt. Dreams about that fateful day where she had done nothing to reassure her child haunted her dreams at night. She would tear up at the mere memory of her beloved daughter laughing and smiling, something she hadn't seen for the last nine years. Everything about her once energetic daughter had changed.

Her beautiful, bright and happy child was gone. In her place there was a cold and expressionless…robot.

Itsuku's room, once filled with Hero paraphernalia of her favorite heroes and heroines was pushed to the wayside, only occupying a small corner of the room now. Instead, hundreds and hundreds of books and notebooks filled the room. Tomes on science, philosophy, art, technology, combat and strategy lined the walls, and Inko often found her daughter silently writing in another notebook, one among thousands at this point, her eyes and hand on some indecipherable page next to her.

Every day, Inko worried for her daughter. She had never heard from her about any of the normal things that teenagers worried about, friends, appearances, grades, and all the other silly things young people thought of. Itsuku was a machine that continued to study, workout, train, rinse and repeat.

She rarely talked at dinner and didn't partake in any of her previous activities from when she was a child. In fact, the last substantial thing that Itsuku had said to her, in recent memory, was "Go on a diet and exercise." Embarrassed, Inko had quickly followed through, despite her guilt, and was starting to regain her former youth from so long ago.

However, she would give it all up just to see her precious daughter smile again.

What did she want now? What were her dreams? Did she find something else in her life? What were her favorite hobbies? How were her friends? Did she have any? Boyfriend…Girlfriend? What was going on in her young daughter's mind?

"Mom," her daughter suddenly called, breaking her from her train of endless worries at the dinner table, "In a year, I'm applying for Yuuei."

"Wha…Honey? Are you still…" she asked, her fears rearing their ugly head as she imagined her daughter getting smashed, slashed and broken to bits by some unknown assailant. Itsuku didn't expect any words of support, nor did she need them any longer.

"Yes."

That was all she said as she gathered her dishes and deposited them into the sink to wash, disappearing into her room without another word once she put away the dishes, the floating sound of pen against paper the only sign that she was still awake.

"Itsuku…" Inko mourned, cursing her inability to be a good mother, thinking back all those years to that singular moment again where her only child had needed her the most, and she had failed. She blinked back the tears that always came. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Well, let's talk about the test results, class," Itsuku's teacher at Aldera Junior High began, his face grim before morphing into a wide smile, "Not like any of that matters anyway! You're all planning for the Hero course! This stuff is pretty worthless."

Instantly, the entire classroom erupted into spirited cheers as all the young men and women, aspiring heroes and heroines, flaunted their powers enthusiastically. All except one young woman, whose face remained blank and impassive, not a single twitch appearing on her face as her classmates celebrated the nearing of the end of their junior high days.

"Yes yes! I know you all have wonderful Quirks, but remember, you can't use them out in public so freely. I'll let it pass this one time because you've all been so wonderful," the teacher continued blissfully, uncaring of the various exam papers strewn around the front of the desk.

"Oi! Sensei. Don't lump me with the rest of these bottom-feeder rejects! I'm miles above and beyond anyone here. It's not even funny!" Katsuki said with a smug sneer, his feet resting on his desk while he sent a challenging glare to the rest of his class. Naturally the rest of his class objected to the strong statement, but he paid them no mind, another dark glare being sent around the room. Predictably, no real objection was voiced.

"Oh yeah. Bakugo, you wanted to get into Yuuei right? Pretty impressive," the sensei continued, looking down at his list of students from the clipboard in his hands. While Bakugo was hot-headed, generally unpleasant, and hard to get along with, he was considered highly intelligent and truly did have a drive to become a hero. His quirk would no doubt be a great asset to fighting crime and villainy. His attitude needed some adjustment though.

"That's why the rest of you all are EXTRAS!" he yelled, jumping on his desk with undiluted smugness, "I aced the mock test! I'm the smartest here! I got the best damn Quirk around, and none of you rejects can fucking deny it!" He huffed, feeling satisfied the entire class had shut up.

"Hmm. Midoriya seems to be applying as well. She qualified," the teacher continued, slightly surprised, looking up at the emotionless girl still sitting in her seat, reading a book as the rest of the class continued to go wild.

Silence met that sentence as the entire class turned towards the most mundane member of their class. A nervous laughter rose in the room as old habits began to kick up.

"Ha…ha you…you can't get into Yuuei just by studying," one boy, one of her previous bullies, said weakly, trying his best to ignore the cold chill down his spine, "Who ever heard of a studying heroine!"

"Y…yeah!" the rest of the class joined in, nervous laughter, meant to be taunting, rising in the room. Itsuku didn't care, and simply turned a page in her book. Katsuki didn't take well to that. He simply could not tolerate being compared to a no-presence loser with delusions of greatness.

With a roar of fury, he swiped his hand downwards towards his childhood friend's desk, intent on destroying not only it, but also that infuriating book in her hands.

"You damned, Charity Case!"

Itsuku's eyes hardened, and in a blink, just as Katsuki was about to smash her desk and burn her book to ashes, she kicked the desk upwards with her legs, and in one fluid motion, slammed her book down on Bakugo's head. The entire class went silent as Katsuki hit the floor, cold, his jaw and head no doubt heavily bruised.

"I told you before," Itsuku muttered blankly to the motionless explosive quirk user, "Don't ever talk to me again." The entire classroom fell silent as they watched the most powerful quirk user in the room get swatted like a fly on the wall. Without another word, Itsuku fixed her desk and continued to go back to reading, roughly shoving the now unconscious Bakugo to the side.

No one else dared comment on the situation, knowing that saying anything in either camp would instigate something painful on their behalf. It wasn't the first time they had seen the infamous book of death…

Ever since entering Junior High, despite being "Quirkless", Itsuku had been known by another name, one that invoked a feeling of dread in those that had been on the receiving end of those damned book spines.

As it turned out, even if you were Quirkless, if you were a girl and were pretty, that could be overlooked, slightly. And according to the general population of the school, Itsuku was a very pretty girl. Her dark, forest green hair had grown ever since she was a child, reaching the middle of her back, and her body had begun developing a lot earlier than most of the girls in the school, much to the envy of her female peers. She was also universally accepted as one of the smartest people in the school and was very talented in sports as well.

Secretly, her body was worshiped by some of the more perverted males in the school, praised for being just the right mix of toned musculature and feminine beauty. The boobs helped too.

Subsequently, she'd had a lot of boys and some girls attempt to woo her, mainly through a lot of backhanded compliments, intimidation, fake friendship and false promises of protection against her main antagonist, Katsuki. None of them ever ended well, for the ones approaching her anyway.

In the past few years, she hadn't been idle. Her dense muscle mass was a result of years of training, countless hours of combat she had been simulating at various dojos in the city, and hundreds of days of physical training. Quirk or no Quirk, a swift punch to the face and kick in the gut was enough to down any human, baring those with some endurance-type quirk. They didn't last long either though, always underestimating the power of her precise strikes at debilitating points in the body.

The fact that she was hiding a Quirk was just the icing on the cake. While it wasn't useful for direct applications in battle, it was invaluable in the flow of it, and she had been training with it for years now.

Machine Learning. That was what she had named her nearly invisible Quirk all those years ago. It was a Quirk that allowed her to analyze and store all information related to a certain topic after a few repeated exposures, like a learning AI that stored a vast vault of information and improved on it.

Physically writing encoded knowledge quicker, cutting down learning by almost 50%, a vast improvement from where it started at 6% when she first confirmed her Quirk. It also passively applied to her body, allowing her to adapt new movements quickly and refine them to the highest degree after only a few attempts. Active usage of her Quirk also allowed her to quickly come up with solutions in battle, analyze an enemies' battle tendencies and counteract them appropriately.

Combined, her precise ability in combat, emotionless nature, chilling aura, good looks and near encyclopedic swathe of knowledge had earned her the infamous moniker:

Robotic Queen

* * *

A/N

For anyone curious, Izuku 出久 is how his name is spelled. Alternatively, the first kanji 出, can be read as De, which is usually a first instinct of most Japanese. Hence why his name becomes Deku in the manga.

In this fic, the name is Itsuku which is read as 慈, which is used in various words in Japanese that mean mercy, compassion, pity, charity or benevolence. Hence why her derogative nickname in this fic isn't Deku, but a play on the word Charity.

But anyways, I've been thinking a bit about the background of Midoriya for a while, debating on how such a bullied and isolated kid could have grown up so…relatively adjusted. So, I set out to tell a more "realistic" tale of a damaged child who is more cautious about her peers than her enemies, where she chose to fight instead of running from her problems.

Also, if you haven't already figured it out, not a BakugoXMidoriya fic.

Also also, couldn't find the original source of my cover-photo, which I do not own. Hopefully if the owner ever does grace my presence, I hope they don't mind and Thank you!

Hope you've enjoyed,

-Woona the Cat


	2. Ch1: New Parameters

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Boku no Hero Academia

* * *

Chapter 1: New Parameters

Itsuku sighed quietly as the class ended, gathering her things while ignoring the heated glare on the back on her head as she walked out of the class. It had been a long time since she had gotten into a fight with Kacchan, and while she held no positive feelings towards her once-friend, she would prefer to stay out of his way. It was too troublesome to stir up the hornet's nest that was Katsuki Bakugo. One day, she hoped he'd just grow up.

Grabbing her stuff from her locker, she checked her large sports bottle to make sure she had enough for her long run this afternoon, satisfied with the liter and a half or so still there. She grimaced at the prospect of having to sprint at max speed for over 50 kilometers, but she had to up her training if she truly wanted to make it into Yuuei without any applicable battle Quirk.

She was just lucky her Quick allowed her body to adapt so well, or else she would have destroyed her body years ago. However, she was still frustrated that her top speed was just a little more than the strongest Olympic athletes from the Quirkless-era hundreds of years ago.

Internally groaning at the inevitable feeling of pain she was walking into, she started walking, looking down at her phone as she continued her trek, frowning as social media coverage raved about an on-the-loose villain in the area. Why the Pros hadn't already rounded up the slime menace was beyond her. He had been on the loose for over an hour already, causing chaos in the nearby shopping district with petty theft and property destruction.

Shaking her head, she continued onwards, stopping at the overpass, a strange hesitance forcing her to stand in place as her Quirk forcibly relayed information to her. In the dark tunnel ahead, there was a single sewer grate. While normally that was nothing significant, her overactive mind considered the possibility…

Purposely, she walked slowly into the narrow tunnel and began to walk in place, waiting.

Nothing happened, and she felt stupid for trying it. She sighed, deciding to forget about it and just hurry towards her training.

Then, abruptly, her legs were swept out from underneath her and a disgusting feeling of cold goo pressed against her skin. Green submerged her vision as a pair of vicious eyes and sharp teeth appeared in front of her, leering at her.

"Clever girl. Trying to trick me like that. Very clever. Too bad for you though. Now, I hope you don't mind, I'm going to borrow your body for…well forever probably. Don't worry, it'll only hurt a little bit," the voice cackled, trying its best to suffocate her. She struggled fruitlessly against the massive weight on her, clawing at her mouth in an attempt to take a breath, but it was impossible.

Pain began to fill her lungs as the villain forcibly attempted to remove whatever oxygen remained in her body. She struggled futilely against the liquid body of her assailant, but her vision began to dim.

Was she going to die here? After all her hard work? After everything she had been through, would she really lose to some D-rate villain in the middle of an abandoned tunnel? Her entire mind and spirit screamed at it, refusing to go out like that. Her mind went to work.

"Don't struggle dearie, it'll only make it more…" the slime villain said, only to suddenly scream as a liter of water was poured on top of him, diluting him significantly, allowing his captive to take another breath and even free one of her arms. "You bitch! You'll pay for that!"

With a yell, Itsuku brought her remaining arm towards her captor's only other weak spot, his eyes. Her Quirk told her everything.

She knew everything about the villain's quirk, how strong his slime was, how much he could control, the different effects liquids had on him, the ability to control others, and his most glaring weakness of still possessing physical eyes and teeth. With no mercy, her fist slammed into the slime's right eye, causing his entire body to go rigid as immense pain caused him to release his grip.

Rolling away quickly, Itsuku took a few deep breaths, her body shaking as she realized in that moment that she truly was up against a real villain, and that she had almost died. She grit her teeth in frustration, hating the fact that all of her training was essentially worthless here.

"You little brat! I'll…"

"Fear not young woman! For I, am here!" a loud boisterous voice boomed as a large and imposing figure burst out of the sewage grate. Itsuku paused. She would know that voice anywhere.

"Texas. SMASH!" All-Might roared, the sheer force behind the blow generating a wind so powerful that it essentially vaporized the slime villain, leaving him as nothing more than a small puddle of eyes and sharp teeth which the Pro promptly scooped into an emptied soda bottle, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Sorry little miss! I didn't want to get you caught up in my villain fighting, but I'm a little off my game today! I was just in such high spirits since it was my day off hahaha!"

"All-Might…" she breathed out, shocked at being able to meet her childhood hero, face to face. She bowed respectfully. "Thank you for saving me."

"No problem miss!" he said, giving her a thumbs up, coughing slightly, "Ahem. Well if you'd excuse me, I really do have to…"

"Wait!" Itsuku suddenly shouted her eyes brightening. Her rational mind told her the truth, but the small embers of hope still left in her demanded she ask the man who had started it all for her.

"Look kid, I really can…" All-Might said before suddenly, his entire appearance was engulfed in smoke, leaving a strange skeletal-like man standing there wearing All-Might's clothes. Itsuku's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Shit."

* * *

Itsuku and Toshinori Yagi, the true identity of All-Might, leaned against the cold walls of the dark tunnel where the slime villain had been defeated. Forced to explain himself, he told Itsuku the truth about his injuries and how he had come to look like he did.

"And that is the truth," All-Might said, his voice heavy as he coughed some more. Itsuku's mind, for once, was blank. The very idea that All-Might, the greatest Symbol of Peace that mankind had ever seen, was dying… It was unthinkable. The end results would be catastrophic, villainy would rise again, and the world would be plunged into chaos. The world needed All-Might.

"As for your second question…" Toshinori said, his voice heavy as he stood up, closing his eyes painfully, "I cannot say you can become a hero without power…It is too dangerous. Even with your abilities…I'm sorry. It's good to dream…but one must be realistic."

It stung immensely to hear it, and she knew it was coming. But why did it feel like her hopes were getting crushed all over again?

"I…I see," she said, doing her best to hold back the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She hadn't cried in years, so why cry now. "Yes…I suppose…you're right All-Might." She stood mechanically, her body rigid and her eyes even duller than before.

"Midoriya?" Toshinori asked, alarm in his voice at the way her face blanked so quickly.

"Thank you, All-Might. Have a good day," she replied, walking off, her steps echoing like clockwork against the cold gravel. It was a stark difference from the animated voice he had heard only moments before.

All-Might sighed heavily, feeling immense guilt in crushing a child's dreams like that, but it had to be done. It was simply safer for her, even with her objectively amazing Quirk, to stay back and allow the Heroes with power handle fighting the Villains. Still, he felt like a hypocrite.

Toshinori was so distracted that he didn't realize that the bottle holding the slime villain had somehow disappeared, until it was too late.

* * *

Fire and smoke raged in the downtown area as chaos engulfed the entire shopping street. The worried cries of hundreds of people could be heard as dozens of Pro-Heroes were thrown onto the scene. Kamui Woods, Death Arms, Mt. Lady, and a variety of other Pros were trying to battle the growing flames, explosions and debris with little success.

All-Might, in his deflated form, was running as fast as he could, knowing that somehow the villain that had escaped him must be responsible.

"I can't put out all these flames!" Backdraft yelled, trying to quell the raging inferno with multiple streams of water, "Where are the fire trucks!"

"This guy can't be grabbed! Dammit!" Death Arms yelled in frustration as he was forced back by a large slimy arm. "We need someone with an elemental quirk to deal with this guy!"

"Fire and Explosions are my big weakness," Woods answered as he swooped through the crowd, "I have to focus on rescuing trapped civilians and allow someone with a more suited Quirk to intervene."

"The street is only one-lane! I can't go down it!" Mt. Lady lamented, doing her best to shield the populace from the oncoming damage.

All-Might cursed, holding his sides painfully. Why. Why. Why! Someone was going to die on his watch, and it was all his fault! Pathetic! Pathetic! How could he call himself a Hero? That young man was going to die right in front of him…But what could he do? He was out of time…

He prayed. Someone would come! Another hero would save the day, and he could only hope that the young man that was captured by the villain could hold on. His heart clenched in self-hate as he saw the look of absolute fear in the boy's eyes…

"GODDAMMIT!" A young voice screamed, and Toshinori froze as a familiar figure surged from the whispering crowd, making it past the wall of heroes that weren't doing anything. "You. Goddamned. Idiotic. Self-centered. Arrogant. Complete. Blockhead KACCHAN!"

"That idiot! She's going to get herself killed! Stop!" one of the pros yelled, watching the apparently powerless young woman attempt to save what looked to be like a classmate. With a yell, she grabbed a nearby pipe and chucked it straight at the villain like a javelin, striking him square in the eye again.

"You fucking bitch!" the slime roared as it lost its grip on its prey for the second time today, giving Katsuki a precious moment to breathe, "I should have murdered you when I had the chance!" Itsuku pulled with all of her might on Bakugo's exposed hands but was unable to pull him free.

"Get the fuck out of here, Midoriya!" Bakugo roared, doing his best to struggle against the monster, "What the fuck were you thinking! You Quirkless loser! You're going to die!" Itsuku ignored him, doing everything in her power to tug him free, but to no avail.

"SHUT UP! I don't even like you Katsuki! In fact, I absolute hate you!" Midoriya screamed, clawing away helplessly at the mass of fluid that had a death-grip on Bakugo, "But I'm not going to stand by and just let you die! I'd turn my back on everything I believed in if I did! SO SHUT UP AND LET ME HELP YOU!"

All-Might watched on, his mind frozen, a self-depreciating smirk on his face. Strength filled his body as he remembered the truth. A small laugh escaped him.

"Get out of my way and die!" the slime villain yelled, using Katsuki's hands to spark an explosion, intent on blasting the annoying girl to bits and crushing her bones against the ground. The explosion engulfed the entire street, and the crowd looked away, expecting to see the foolish girls' corpse on the ground.

"I really am…pathetic, aren't I?" All-Might in his complete form muttered, his eyes looking down on the girl he had put down just earlier today who had shielded herself, fully expected to be blown away, "After everything I said to you…I couldn't even do the one thing I'm supposed to do. I failed to put my own words into practice."

"All-Might! Curse you!" the slime screeched, swinging a massive gooey arm down on the pair, fury in its mad eyes.

"A Pro is always ready to risk it all for the sake of saving someone! That's the true spirit of a hero!" he roared as he easily broke free of the slime's grasp, grabbing the exposed hands of Itsuka's classmate. His fist cocked back as immense power was gathered in his right fist. Everyone knew what was coming next.

"Detroit. SMASH!" the Symbol of Peace roared, his fist blowing the entire gelatinous form of the slime-villain away as the sheer force of his punch somehow gathered the clouds together, causing rain to fall and extinguish the flames of the fight. "It seems that even I need to be reminded of what true heroism is," he muttered with a self-depreciating chuckle. He turned to say something to the young girl who had done more than any of the Pros on scene but was suddenly mobbed by the crowd who cheered him on for saving the day. He paid them no mind, simply continuing to smile.

All the while, he scanned the crowd for that signature mop of dark-green hair. A decision was made.

* * *

Itsuku walked home silently, contemplating what a terrible day it had been overall. She didn't even want to think about how insufferable Bakugo was going to be tomorrow, already imagining the angry and ear-piercing rant that would ensure.

It seemed all her practice of detaching herself from everyone couldn't stop who she truly was inside. That didn't matter anymore though. All-Might had been right. She needed to think about a different way to help people, remembering the feeling of almost suffocating with a shudder.

"OI! Char…Midoriya! Stop for a fucking second!" the characteristically angry voice of her childhood friend suddenly called out as he skidded to a stop, causing her to grimace. She really didn't want to deal with this right now, fingering the spine of her book again. She turned, her face impassive.

Katsuki was hunched over, and he seemed to be shaking almost uncontrollably, something very odd for the normally strong and hard-headed boy to showcase to someone he supposedly hated.

"You…you…you didn't help me alright!? I didn't need it! I didn't ask for it! Don't go looking down on me okay! Don't fuck with me and make me owe you or some stupid shit like that! I won't have it! You…damn…bookworm!" he roared, only to sullenly turn around and walk away without even hearing her response.

Itsuku blinked rapidly, watching the retreating form of her childhood friend with some amount of mirth. She snorted softly. Leave it to him to make a 'thank you' sound so completely unpleasant. She was surprised he attempted to thank her at all. However, nothing had changed.

At the end of the day, she was still the same and he was still the same.

"I. AM. HERE!"

Itsuku blinked blankly again, watching expectantly as the muscled form of All-Might suddenly deflated into the skeletal man again.

"Shit. Overexerted myself…" All-Might said with a sigh, "Midoriya…I need to say a few things to you, and I need to apologize." She stared, wondering what her childhood hero would say. She waited for the scolding and continued admonishments for her recklessness, completely expecting them. After all they had talked about, she had done the exact thing that he had told her not to do.

"First…thank you. If you hadn't been there, I would have turned into a fraud, a lie. I hesitated to save that boy, even though I'm supposed to be the Symbol of Peace. I hesitated, because I was afraid…for myself," he said, shame filling his voice as he admitted that he, just like any other human was afraid of dying. "I needed to remember why I became a hero, why I save lives…thank you Midoriya."

Itsuku didn't understand. She had only gotten in the way at the end. If she had simply allowed All-Might to leave her at the bridge, the slime-villain would have never been able to escape and endanger more lives. He wouldn't have had to push himself past his limits to battle again. She was about to protest when her idol continued.

"Second...When I told you that you couldn't be a heroine," he continued, causing her to rapidly shake her head in denial. She didn't want to hope again. She couldn't hear such cruel words again. Itsuku didn't want to bring about the pain of being forced to realize her own powerlessness.

"No, I…"

"I WAS WRONG!" he continued, ignoring the young teen's objections, the aura of pain in the air almost palpable, "In all the great heroes of the past, they had all one thing in common."

"You've got it wrong. I'm nothing like…" she replied desperately, clutching her head in denial.

"Their legs moved before they thought! It was nothing but instinct, an instinctual need to help and save people! That is what happened to you isn't it, Midoriya!?"

"You…I'm not a…"

"I saw it with my own two eyes! A young girl, functionally powerless, running up to the villain with determination to do something, anything. Those with power around you were paralyzed, unable to do a single thing! No matter what they told you, they were wrong! I was wrong."

Tears began to gather once again as her heart clenched in agony, remembering her dreams as a child. She wanted to be a heroine! She wanted to save people! Why couldn't she? All her life, no one had ever told her the single thing she had wanted to hear, and she couldn't dare hope, lest whatever remained of her dream be crushed forever.

"You, can be a heroine!" All-Might roared definitively, power in his eyes as he stared at the hunched over form of a girl who must have suffered for so long in silence, "And today, you were one. The weakest, among all the people there, shined the brightest! Today, no matter what happens in the future, you were a HERO!"

The dam broke, and Itsuku collapsed to her knees, wailing to the sky as her heart beat in her chest once more. After all these years, someone had finally told her everything she had ever wanted to hear. Her fist pounded against the ground, uncaring of the scratches and bruises that they would endure. After all this time…

How long had she dreamed of a moment like this? All her trials and hardships hadn't been for nothing. Her sleepless nights, years of loneliness, hours of pain and struggle…

She looked up. Her face was an ugly mess, her clothes were burnt and singed, and her eyes were puffy and red from the endless tears…

But for the first time in 10 years, she smiled.

* * *

A/N

It's a real pain to figure out when to use "heroine" and "hero". The latter just seems so much more easily used and connotatively, seems more flexible. Grammatically though, heroine is correct, which is why I'm such a stickler…

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The first real steps on our journey begin here! Though, we have a long way to go with Itsuku. She's been damaged beyond belief, and only the single blind spot of her childhood idol really saved her. She has a lot to learn and relearn.

Hope you enjoyed! Please read and review at your leisure,

-Woona the Cat

P.S.

For anyone here from my other stories, like Fate and stuff, no worries! I've been working on that too. I was out of the country for a few months working overseas. Busy busy. Glad to finally be back home.


	3. Ch2: Unsolicited Networking

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Boku no Hero Academia

* * *

Chapter 2: Unsolicited Networking

The last eight months had flown by for Itsuku, and as she dropped bonelessly onto the hot sands of the Dagobah beach, she stared down the pristine coastline of what once was, literally, a dump. Even she wasn't immune to the feeling of pride. Itsuku had a hard a time understanding how such a lovely place had been so thoroughly marred in the first place. Shaking her head at the foolishness of humans, she collapsed backwards, staring up at the sky as the consistent sounds of the ocean massaged the sands.

In a rare event, her thoughts wandered, many of them lingering on her future at Yuuei. While she didn't want to admit it to herself, she had some reservations. School had long been something she dreaded going to for a long time, not because she hated learning, but because she hated the humans that went there with her.

Case and point, Katsuki…

Even now, she held resentment towards him and towards everyone that attended her junior high, teachers included. She frowned a bit at the last encounter she'd had with her junior high class, remembering the open mocking she had received when they thought she wasn't listening.

Quirks hadn't changed anything about the cruelty of humans, she mused with a dark frown.

Still she closed her eyes, a small hope settling in her chest. Maybe things would be different.

"OH MY GOODNESS!" a loud, boisterous voice exclaimed as a man one body profile jumped over the railing overlooking the newly cleaned beach, "I simply cannot believe it! Young Midoriya! You've done an amazing job." All-Might looked up and down the beach in awe, a newfound respect for his young protégé blooming even brighter in his chest.

He had only been expected a small portion of the beach to be cleaned, but now, it was completely cleared.

"You were sneaking in more hours, weren't you?"

"I had to," she replied simply, sitting up again, watching the push and pull of the sea, a contemplative expression on her face, "Everyone at Yuuei will have had ten years to refine and learn about their Quirks. They are prepared to fight. My Quirk, while useful, didn't have that luxury…Now that I have the opportunity, I have to do everything I can."

"Midoriya…" Toshinori breathed out, watching the scarred child before him, a deep sadness filling his heart. He hated feeling so helpless in the face of his student's plight, watching the lonely girl stare out into the horizon.

Villains, evil plots, protecting the innocent. Those were things he could handle, and unfortunately, healing damaged children didn't fall under that category as much as he wished it did at this moment.

She was an incredible young woman, but he worried for her. Everything, absolutely everything, Itsuku did revolved around her singular dream. There was nothing else for her, nothing to ground her, no one to hold her to the world. Itsuku didn't have any hobbies or desires in life, other than to become like him.

Being a Hero was more than just being able to punch out bad guys, and All-Might was having a hard time trying to teach that to the girl.

Ever since that day, he had yet to see her smile again. Really, any expression would have been preferred to the simple blank face she presented to the world every day. She didn't laugh, cry, or even yell in frustration, and would just continue working at her task with a machine-like focus. Even when he gave her impossible tasks, she would go at them with a singular and unshakable drive. It was vexing, and he found himself grappling with a question he had never considered before.

How do you teach someone to be human again? He had thought about it a lot recently.

"New plans!" he suddenly announced, a broad grin on his face as he took out his phone, making a quick call. He'd get chewed out for it later, but he believed it would benefit his student more.

"More training?" Itsuku asked, standing up and dusting off the sand on her legs and back.

"Let's think of it that way. Meet me at the station near your house tomorrow," Toshinori replied simply, quickly plucking a single golden hair from his head, "Before you go, eat this." Itsuku stared at the piece of hair, her right eye twitching for just a second. However, as she grabbed the tiny strand, her Quirk told her everything she needed to know.

"Quirk transference through voluntary DNA donation. Forced acquirement is prevented…" she muttered as her abilities began to analyze the mutated Quirk. "Eight generations since its mutation with a stockpiling Quirk given by…"

She suddenly found All-Might's hand over her mouth, a look of alarm and alertness on his face. With a quick glance around, he relaxed a bit before fixating his apprentice with a wary look.

"Once again, your Quirk is amazing and very scary Young Midoriya…However, please keep the shrouded history of…it…to yourself as much as possible. It is a very high-level secret that has been protected for many years. We can discuss it, but away from prying eyes and ears."

Looking just a bit sheepish, she nodded, throwing the hair into her mouth and swallowing, shivering slightly as the sensation of a hair went down. It was anything but pleasant.

"Once you have adjusted, please be careful. I expect that you'll test your newfound strength somehow but be aware of the high-risks that come with it. I'd strongly prefer if you held off until tomorrow," All-Might continued, earning an understanding nod. "Then, until tomorrow Midoriya! And a wonderful job today. I am very proud of you! I'm encouraged more by the day that you were absolutely the correct choice."

Without another word, the skeletal form of Toshinori transformed into the famous hero once again and bounded off faster than the speed of sound, leaving Midoriya alone on the beach yet again.

Then, the truth of her new reality hit her.

As the sun began to sink below the crystal blue waters, painting the sky oranges, reds and pinks, Itsuku couldn't help but feel content, a foreign feeling for her. She clenched her fist in triumph, already searching within herself for All-Might's legacy. She would have to wait but, a few hours were nothing compared to the years she had spent.

With one last look at the pristine beach, Itsuku turned around and began to walk home, looking forward to what the next day would bring.

* * *

Itsuku knew immediately where they were headed when the last station had been passed. There was only one final destination for the train they were on, and even she couldn't hide her excitement. She had memorized the route by heart when she had been a young, starry-eyed child, and even as jaded as she was now, she remembered.

All-Might said nothing, but did grin at the rare display of emotion, observing his pupil for other signs of how she felt, noting the incessant tapping of her left index against her wrist. She had been staring out the window ever since they had passed the last station, likely to be able to catch the first glimpses.

Briefly, Toshinori noticed a flash of green sparking around her fingers, and the smirk rose all the way to his eyes. The moment Midoriya had come to meet him at the station, he had noticed the change in her demeanor. While still undeniably still cold and stoic, her shoulders were higher and her posture straighter.

"How much of it can you handle?" he asked quietly from the seat next Itsuku, his gaze looking for any other visual cues as to how One For All would manifest in Itsuku. Every wielder had a different way of using the ancient Quirk, and its interaction with other Quirks was also usually unpredictable.

"3.4%" Itsuku muttered, frowning while flexing her hand, watching the small bolts of greet lightning dance across her palm, signaling where One For All was being concentrated. "I'm…a bit disappointed that all of my training only amounted to such a small amount. Though, knowing how much that 3.4% really is in a quantitive number helps somewhat…"

All-Might chuckled, understanding completely. While the number may sound small, his power, in his prime, had been equated to having the equivalent force of a hefty nuclear explosion. It was well documented that he'd had enough power in his strikes alone to level half of a large city after all…

"It's a little unsettling that, technically, I have enough power to rival about a kiloton of TNT," she replied, shuddering slightly at how easily she could have destroyed her home this morning. For once, she was very happy to have a Quirk that told her exactly how to operate with such a ridiculous amount of power. Her poor pillow had been vaporized in her sleep though…

No wonder the entire world had classified All-Might as the absolute, strongest Hero.

"Well, get used to it Young Midoriya!" Toshinori quipped, smirking, "I'm sure you'll do fine."

"I suppose I'm lucky," she mused, her gaze dragging towards her fingers as she pulsed the power through her hands again, "If I hadn't had my Quirk…I would have grinded my bones to dust accidentally." Trying to channel more than she could handle would have been an easy way to end up in the hospital fast.

"Quite. One of my colleagues, who we're going to meet today, would not be pleased if that were the case," All-Might admitted, coughing a bit as his affliction hit him again.

"A Yuuei professor?" she asked, some shine in her eyes as she realized that she was going to be meeting real Pros. There wasn't much that peeked her interest, but Heroes were always going to get a favorable reaction out of her.

"She's actually the nurse there. She's going to be overseeing our little session today. Try to keep it a bit restrained. If you hurt yourself, she'll skin me alive…again," he replied with a low chuckle, grinning fondly.

A few moments later, Itsuku finally saw it approaching. While not the most aesthetically unique building, what it represented, giant 'H' and all, meant more than anything. Many other buildings and structures surrounded the main building, ranging from the standard sports fields to ridiculous coliseum-like arenas.

As the doors opened, she breathed in deeply, still awed at finally stepping foot in a place she had only watched from afar in her dreams.

"Quite a sight isn't it?" All-Might asked, transforming into his large form and waving energetically, "Over here Principal Nezu!"

"I swear All-Might, you make my job hard on purpose," a small, diminutive animal of some sort complained as it strolled leisurely through the front gates clad in a finely pressed vest and large orange sneakers. Itsuku blinked. She really wasn't dreaming. "Ah yes yes, I know I look strange. Thank you very much." He waved off her blank stare with practiced ease. "Any guesses as to what I am Midoriya-san?"

"Uh…" she replied eloquently, quickly bring her wits about her, shaking her head to refocus. While it wasn't unheard of for an animal to possess a Quirk, it was exceedingly rare. However, it was probably even rarer for an animal with a Quirk to develop true sentience. "Some sort of cross between a dog, cat and bear…" Nezu regarded her critically for a few moments, an unreadable smile on her face.

"Well at least your protégé isn't a complete meathead like you are All-Might," he said, not missing a beat.

"Oi! That ain't true and you know it," Toshinori rebutted, no heat in his voice.

"Last I checked, meatheads don't spring impromptu plans on their boss less than twenty-four hours ahead of time. Do you have any idea how taxing it was to explain to Yaoyorozu-san that she was needed for an unscheduled and emergency 'quirk assessment test'? Poor girl started freaking out right there on the phone." Nezu knew that her power relied on imagination, but he should have known her impressive ability would extend to other matters as well.

"Ah…" All-Might replied, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment, "But she did come right?" The plan had sounded smart at the time...

"She arrived at six in the morning," Nezu deadpanned, remembering running into his student on his way into the facilities, camping out in front of the entrance before official hours even started.

"Excuse me. Who is this exactly?" Itsuku asked, a bit confused as to what her mentor had conjured up. She looked back and forth between the two, wondering who this other student was and why she was here.

"Just a recommendation student Midoriya-san," Nezu assured smoothly, "Toshinori wanted to assess your quirk, and we figured that since we hadn't officially tested Yaoyorozu-san's yet, it was a good time to do both. She actually just finished up." She regarded the two men with dubious expressions, mentally replaying the principal complaining to All-Might about it. However, it didn't seem to be a big deal.

"Let's go then!" the Number One Hero shouted, excited, "Best to not keep everyone waiting."

* * *

The training building they had entered was massive. The ceiling was at least twenty meters high, and it was as large as two football fields. Plain concrete lined the floors, broken up by distinct metal hatches in the ground and markers dotted here and there. Reinforced steel windows perched high above them, lighting up the building naturally to supplement the floodlights above. Near the entrance, there was an observation station that had an unmitigated view of the entire field via multiple camera sources.

"This is the Bunker Building," Nezu explained as he grabbed a controller from the wall, inputting a few commands to the handheld. Large steel plates reinforced all the walls moments later, and even the windows were now covered in thick glass that distorted the light. "We use this building to test particularly powerful Quirks. These walls should be able to withstand about three full-powered punches from All-Might himself, so everything should be safe for you Midoriya-san."

"Do your best Young Midoriya! I'm expecting amazing things," All-Might said in his skeletal form, giving a thumbs up as he entered the observatory room connected to the testing center with Principal Nezu. Itsuku blinked, suddenly finding herself alone in the cavernous room.

"OKAY! Let's see what you got Young Midoriya!" the speakers blazed overhead as the closest metal hatch opened up and raised up a large, broken-down truck. It had definitely seen better days as by the solid layer of rust covering nearly the entire car.

"Let's just confirm your Quirk is good to go," Nezu cut off, a screeching sound briefly surrounding the building as he forcibly grabbed the mic, "Midoriya-san, please pick up the car."

"Eh…" she grunted, blinking at the broken hunk of junk. While she knew mentally that she should have enough power now to easily lift the three ton car, it was a very abrupt change in mindset. It wasn't every day you woke up with the ability after all.

Determined, she walked forward, the power of One For All surging into her arms. Bending her knees, she grabbed the car and lifted.

She stared.

"Light," she muttered, hefting the hulking mass of metal as if it were a small softball. All Might's power was too ridiculous… Testing how it felt, she began juggling the truck between her hands, finding that even one hand was enough to lift the sizable vehicle. "This is insane," she muttered.

"Excellent," Nezu praised, his voice almost giddy, "Let's move on. In the back, there's a target. Do you see it Midoriya-san?" Squinting her eyes, Itsuku was able to make out the distinct form of a bullseye target blazed against the grays of the floor. It was extremely difficult to see at her height, but it was probably about 100 yards away. "Hit it."

Immediately, Machine Learning began to calculate the distance, mass, angle and amount of force required to make the hit, her pupils glowing just a slightly light shade of teal-blue as it worked. With a grunt, she reinforced her limbs, adjusted and threw.

For a few moments, the mass of metal flew through the air, spinning horizontally as its profile soared. With a resounding crash of crushing glass and steel, the car landed, smacking the target on the outer-left reaches of the bullseye before grinding to a halt. Itsuku was disappointed.

"Not bad at all!" All-Might yelled in approval, his eyes gleaming in the booth as he witnessed the power that One For All could be elevated to in conjunction with Midoriya's native power. Nezu was also floored, though his expression didn't give much away. While he had heard the details from All Might, seeing her ability first hand was astonishing. One hundred yards was nothing to scoff at. It spoke volumes of her control.

"Impressive indeed," Nezu added, starting the next test, "Let's continue. Let's try two cars now!"

For the next hour or so, they ran Itsuku through a variety of tests, ranging from dodging ability, strength tests, endurance limits, limit pushing, and even generated wind-force. Some of the tests seemed kind of ridiculous though…especially the dodging arrows bit. But it wasn't as ridiculous as her being forced to kick around a massive boulder like a soccer ball against a team of robots at least.

"Alright, next! We'll see if you're fast enough to run on water now!" The Principal exclaimed, a little too happily, the entire field rumbling away to reveal a sparkling clean expanse of blue. "We'll keep at it until you got it right!"

"Are you serious?" Itsuku deadpanned, just a bit of irritation leaking into her voice. Her entire body was tired and sweaty from almost two hours of continuously utilizing One for All. Her arms and legs felt like stiff boards, and she knew she was going to wake up with some nasty bruises in the morning. These tests were getting more ridiculous by the second.

Itsuku also knew there was no way for her pass the next test right now with her current level. All Might could do it in a heartbeat, given that his top speed could exceed 300 miles an hour, but with access to only 3.4%, she would just end up flopping into the water, even with the added boost from One for All.

"You only have to run about 70 miles an hour. If a little lizard can do it, you sure can," Nezu replied smugly, causing her eye to twitch a bit.

"Not happening," she answered plainly, tapping her right foot. A normal human could only run about twelve miles an hour at top speed, and even the fastest ever recorded had been about thirty.

"Tch," the Principal relented with an unseen roll of his eyes but a pleased grin, "I should have known that you would be able to calculate how fast you could go with your quirk currently." The field returned to normal immediately, and Itsuku glared at the operator box. "Well congratulations Midoriya-san."

With a slight hiss, the metal doors opened and with a great sigh, Itsuku felt the tension leave her body. Even with Machine Learning trying its best to adapt to the new power, the human body simply wasn't built to withstand such massive force so quickly. It would get better, but she wasn't happy with how slow it was going to be.

She turned around just in time to see an unknown elderly woman walk out of the room with a stern look on her face as she verbally reprimanded Toshinori and Nezu, but that was all quickly forgotten as someone else blazed pas them.

"Oh my god! That was amazing!" a sudden voice called out as an unknown girl sprinted out of the observatory room, stars in her eyes. Itsuku twitched, immediately remembering her teacher and the principal's talk.

She was quite tall, taller than her at least, with spiky black hair that curved to one side. For a first year, her body was rather developed with very noticeable curves, and it didn't help that she was currently wearing a red leotard costume that exposed a large amount of skin.

Completely unreserved, she ran up and shook Itsuku's hand excitedly with enough enthusiasm to shake the robotic girl in place. Itsuku swore she had to squint her eyes at how bright the girl's expression was. Her entire demeanor was overflowing with sparkling happiness and bouncy energy.

"I can't believe you could throw that car! And all those punches were so strong and fast! They say you've practiced martial arts too which is perfect! I can't believe we're going to be partners!"

Itsuku froze at that.

"Eh?"

* * *

A/N

You know, 3.4% of a nuclear bomb is actually insane. When I looked into the numbers of how powerful All-Might really was, I was surprised at how ridiculous he actually is. Even a nuke, the size of a regular bomb would be enough to wipe out a city after all. 3.4% of that is insane. Of course, in anime-physics that's nothing, but in reality...

Anyway, the fun begins now!

Thanks for reading and reviewing,

-Woona the Cat


	4. Ch3: Persistent Bugs

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Boku no Hero Academia

* * *

Chapter 3: Persistent Bugs

Itsuku really hated her principal right now, subtly glaring at the self-satisfied smirk playing across the stupid ferret's face. All-Might scratched the back of his head apologetically, feeling a little bit bad for setting up his protégé like this, but it was all going to be worth it in the end…he hoped.

"I hope we can get along," the girl, who was still enthusiastically shaking her hands, greeted with a wide smile, "My name is Yaoyorozu Momo. It's a pleasure to meet another recommendation student."

Itsuku twitched at that again, sending another quick glare at All-Might and Nezu whose smile only widened.

"Midoriya Itsuku," she replied a bit stiffly, not quite used to conversing civilly with people her own age. Pulling her hand away quickly, she winced a bit at the slightly surprised expression that passed over Momo's face. "Sorry…I'm not used to…contact." The black-haired girl jumped at the expression, her face quickly turning into self-conscious worry.

"No no! That was my fault. I was too forward," she quickly responded, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I should know better than to invade someone's space like that so suddenly…" She trailed off, looking off the side awkwardly. Itsuku flinched before another sigh escaped her, mentally palming her face.

"It's alright," she muttered, just loud enough, "Partners?"

"That's right!" Momo jumped back in, a determined fire in her eyes, "I didn't know about it either, but apparently recommendation students are tasked with coming up with a year-end project."

"What about?" the green-haired girl half-asked, half growled as she sent another subtle death-glare to her principal whose euphoric face was only serving to make her more irritated. This was also the first she had ever heard about being a recommendation student.

"They said they'd assign it to us on the first week of school," Momo supplied with an excited smile. Honestly, she just couldn't wait to invite her new partner over to hang out, talk about things, indulge in youthful activites and whatever else came with having people come over...

She didn't really know by experience…but she was sure that her butler, maids, personal trainer, limo driver and mother would know what to do. Mentally, she reminded herself to talk to her parents about the exciting new development. Maybe they'd even let her prep the guest room!

'In other words,' Itsuku thought as she once again mentally face-palmed, 'They're making shit up.' She hated how Nezu's face seemed to know exactly what she was thinking as he began to almost skip in place. All-Might had the decency to look apologetic at least.

"Anyway, what's the name of your Quirk? Mine's Creation," the taller girl continued diligently, "It lets me create anything non-living from the excess lipid stores in my body."

Suddenly, Itsuku zoned out, having finally realized that her Quirk had been processing Momo's Quirk the entire time. Normally, it was easy for Machine Learning to scan and process a person's quirk, but that was usually because a Quirk could only do a few things.

Her head actually began to hurt as her Quirk registered the over 4000 items that Momo could instinctively create. That wasn't counting the items she had forgotten how to make. From everyday things such as a pencil to a freaking motorbike, Momo could make all of them. Countless recipes began to filter into her memory, causing her to sway a bit in place. It was insane!

"Midoriya?"

Chemical formulas for complex drugs she had only read in passing flickered through her mind rapidly. The intricate workings of explosives, military grade weapons, even how to create a working rocket engine were mercilessly hard-coded into her memory.

"Midoriya!?"

It was too much to process at once, and before she could slow down the train of information, Itsuku's vision began to swim, and she felt her legs give way as her system forcibly shut down. The world began to spin.

The last thing she remembered was falling into something soft…. Good thing Momo knew how to make pillows fast.

* * *

Itsuku's eyes snapped open, finding herself in a comfortable bed surrounded by pure white curtains. Blinking as to reduce the strain on her eyes, she sat up, groaning as a headache began to make itself known. Tapping her cheeks to force herself into awareness, she rubbed her temples as the aftereffects of her Quirk made themselves known.

With a heavy exhale, she began to stretch to relieve the tension in her arms and legs. Sliding the curtains open, she paused briefly to marvel at the fact that her arms and legs didn't feel like hunks of metal.

"Ah, you've awoken," an elderly woman in a pink and white nurse uniform greeted kindly, "I'm Recovery Girl. I work as the nurse here at Yuuei. You're also free to call me Chiyo-sensei. Are you feeling better Midoriya-chan?"

"Yeah…Other than the headache," she groused, swinging her legs off the bed, grimacing.

"Ah, one moment then," Recovery Girl said as her lips began to comically stretch and planted themselves right on her forehead. Itsuku was about to say something when her Quirk, having rebooted, went to work.

"That's a pretty amazing Quirk, sensei," Itsuku replied as the pain of her headache ebbed away, "Healing quirks are rare…"

"That they are Midoriya-chan," the elderly woman said with a kind smile, "Any other issues?"

"None currently," the green-haired girl answered as she jumped out of bed, blinking as she noticed the now-familiar form of Yaoyorozu who was slumped up against a chair, completely asleep. Her neck was going to be sore for sure…

"She was worried about you. When Yagi-san and the Principal explained to her what your Quirk was, she felt extremely guilty," Chiyo-sensei supplied, a wry smile on her face, muttering for a moment about idiotic plots and stupid schemes.

"It wasn't her fault…" Itsuku replied somewhat sourly, "Even I didn't know that could happen." She had never fainted from information overload before, and it was a bit scary to know that she could. Then again, she didn't really have a lot of people's Quirks in her database. Itsuku ignored the fact that it was because she barely knew anyone in general.

She still needed to prepare herself for the possibility of it happening again though...

"She was worried. Poor thing fretted herself right to sleep."

"Why?"

Recovery Girl regarded the girl with a curious expression. She had heard bits and pieces from Toshinori, and it was just as bad as he had feared.

"Whatever do you mean Midoriya-chan?" she asked, one of her eyes peeking open just ever so slightly more, "Isn't it natural for someone to be worried about another if they are in pain or hurt?" Chiyo asked, scrutinizing her soon-to-be student.

"She doesn't even know me…or anything about me," she continued, completely confused. It didn't make sense to her. They were essentially complete strangers. Chiyo felt a wave of sadness wash over her at how jaded the young girl before her was.

"Humans are strange like that aren't they?" Chiyo simply hummed in response, earning a confused stare from the younger girl who suddenly turned away uncomfortably. Recovery Girl frowned. It truly saddened the elder woman to see such a young soul so damaged by the world, because even if she hadn't said anything in response, the answer was painfully clear.

Not the ones I know…

"Are you sure you're okay to be walking around Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked for what must have been the tenth time already. She had been fretting non-stop ever since she had woken up.

"I'm fine Yaoyorozu-san," Itsuku sighed, mentally exhausted in more than one way, "I just didn't expect it."

"If you're sure…" the black-haired girl said, wringing her hands, still plainly feeling a bit guilty. Itsuku's headache was returning already. This girl took everything so seriously…

"I'm sure it's a normal reaction to faint when you cram the atomic recipes of a few thousand items into your head in the span of thirty seconds," Itsuku deadpanned, hopping to get her point across. Momo stared for a moment, and then promptly burst into a fit of giggles. "What?"

"You're funny," the black-haired girl said with a small smile, holding her hands behind her back as they walked.

"I was being serious."

"I figured."

Itsuku only offered silence for the rest of their trip to the principal's office, contemplating her new set of circumstances. Momo didn't seem to mind, an almost palpable air of cheer around her as they walked on. Honestly, it ticked her off, just a little bit…

"Come in!" another, oh so cheery voice called. This time, Itsuku knew she was irritated. As the doors to the principal's office opened, that damnable rat was sitting there, paws bridged and a wide, knowing smirk on his face. "Good Afternoon. I hope you're doing better Midoriya-san."

"Just peachy," Itsuku replied flatly, doing her best to not give the satisfaction to her soon-to-be principal.

"Excellent," Nezu continued, unfazed, "Then I'm sure you'll both be pleased to know that your Quirk-Assessments are excellent. There shouldn't be any problems for your recommendations. By technicality that would make you already…"

"I'm taking the Entrance Exam," Itsuku cut off suddenly, her irritation peaking. She didn't struggle and come this far only to be accepted on a technicality. She would never allow it. Itsuku needed to prove it because, she wouldn't accept anything less. She wanted to see it for herself.

"But Midoriya. As recommendation students we don't…" Momo began only to be silenced by an icy and slightly intimidating glare.

"I refuse," she continued strongly, not even sparing her partner a glance. Nezu stared at the young woman with a well-veiled face of calm, scrutinizing the protégé of All-Might.

"Care to explain why Midoriya-san?" the Principal asked calmly as he took a sip from his coffee. He had to suppress a small chuckle when he noticed her twitch in annoyance. Messing with humans in the name of helping them was quite fun.

Itsuku glanced Momo, noticing her reserved expression, likely off put by her real demeanor. She hadn't meant to snap, but everything would have been a lot easier if she hadn't been in the room. Nezu knew of her situation. Yaoyorozu did not.

"I need to prove it, to everyone," she answered, her eyes daring the principal to deny her. The Principal smirked. For just a few moments, he pretended he was deliberating, enjoying the way that his future student continued to glare daggers at him. It was lovely.

"Very well. If that's what you desire," he said lazily, "What about you Yaoyorozu-san?" Momo jumped in surprise, broken out of her thoughts.

"Pardon?"

"Since Midoriya-san is participating, I just naturally assumed that you, as her partner, would as well," he said, his grin stretching into a full-blown smirk as Itsuku's death glare began to come out in full force. It was rather adorable really, like a baby tiger threatening to bite your hand off and maul your feet.

"Don't drag her into this," Midoriya hissed, her blank façade breaking for just a moment before she quickly brought it back into place, "This is my decision. I'd ask you to not impose it on Yaoyorozu-san."

"No, it's fine," Momo suddenly interjected, a chill going down her spine as she felt Midoriya direct her gaze towards her, "Principal Nezu is right. As your partner, it's my duty to at least support you in your ventures. There is also merit in participating in the Entrance Exam, being that it would also allow me to showcase my skills off to my future classmates." She honestly felt a little bad for not thinking about it before. Wouldn't her classmates be reasonably jealous or resentful to learn that she had been given an easy path to Yuuei? By participating, it would ingratiate her to her fellow students.

Itsuku sputtered, trying to quickly talk Momo out of it, only to be quickly overtaken by an enthusiastic principal.

"Excellent!" Nezu exclaimed, "Now if you excuse me, I have quite a bit of work to do. I do hate to cut this so suddenly, but I expect great things from you two! Toodles!"

And just like that, they were suddenly booted out of the office, leaving Momo slightly confused and Itsuku reasonably steaming.

"That…meddling…white…rat," Itsuku muttered, her fingers twitching vaguely in a motion resembling a choking gesture. Taking a deep breath, she remembered that someone was watching and defaulted to her normal expression, or lack thereof. It might have been a moot point though…

"Um…Midoriya. Have I somehow offended you in some way?" Momo asked, a bit nervous around the strange girl. She would have reprimanded her for speaking so brazenly to the principal if it didn't feel like she would bite her head off…literally. Itsuku closed her eyes and mentally reset herself. It was rare for her to lose control, but that one particular weakness had never really gone away.

"I hate being told what to do and what I am..." she muttered, memories of her childhood flashing in her mind hatefully. Her fists tightened as she remembered their jeering faces telling her what she was, what she was destined to be.

"What do you…"

"That's all I'm willing to say," she snapped coldly, not even sparing another glance towards the other girl, "I never asked to be a recommendation student, and I didn't ask for a partner. I can do it all on my own." Without another word, Itsuku stalked off, leaving the stunned girl behind in the corridor, her heavy footfalls echoing against the empty corridor walls.

Momo stood there stunned, a twist in her gut forcing a frown on her face as a deep sadness wormed into her heart. Wiping away the slight wetness in her eyes, she tried to deny that she had been looking forward to having a partner…a friend. She felt stupid for thinking it. People like that were better off ignored. She hadn't done anything wrong to deserve such mean treatment, but her shoulders drooped a bit. She turned to walk home.

"Yaoyorozu-san," the Principal's voice suddenly called from behind her, "Come inside. We have much to discuss."

* * *

Inko was conflicted and just a little bit antsy. She kept sneaking glances at her brooding daughter who had uncharacteristically plopped herself down on the couch as soon as she got home and began mindlessly watching television with a stone-cold face. The last time she had even bothered to stay in the living room for longer than 30 minutes had been years ago.

"Um…Itsuku," she ventured bravely, setting herself down next to her motionless daughter, "Are…are you alright honey?"

"Fine," she muttered, her fists clenched on her legs. She stared resolutely ahead at the TV, though it was clear she wasn't actually watching.

"Are you sure?" Inko continued with concern, emboldened, "If there's anything that is bothering you, honey, or anything you want to talk about…I'm here." Itsuku's fists clenched harder at that, her entire body stiffening at the words. She knew her mother meant well, but her mind flashed to her crying four-year old face begging her mother to tell her she wasn't hopeless. The feeling of resentment crept up into her heart like ice.

"It's fine," she answered curtly, standing up abruptly, avoiding her mother's concerned gaze, her feelings immediately replaced by regret as she caught sight of the wounded expression on her mother's face. "I'm…going to go to bed. I'm not hungry." Inko nodded sadly, watching her daughter mechanically walk to her room. She paused, staring at the plain door. "Good night, mom." The door shut quietly.

Inko really did try her best, but she couldn't help but cry, leaning back onto the old couch while covering her eyes with her right forearm. There were so many things she wanted to say to her precious daughter, so many regrets that she wanted to fix, but she could never find the courage. The last ten years had been awful.

She hadn't seen her daughter smile, laugh, cry, yell, or…anything in so long. Inko would have preferred anger or even rage to the unreadable expression that Itsuku donned every day to protect herself. Drying her eyes, she stared at the speckled ceiling overhead.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry…"

She should have told her. On that fateful day, Inko knew she had said the wrong thing. She could have fixed it though, proven to her daughter that she was behind her no matter what. Things would have been different maybe. Self-loathing lulled her to sleep as she cursed her inability to be strong for her only child. But, she was hurting Itsuku and herself. Enough.

"Tomorrow…I…" she muttered, her head sinking into the couch as the bleary blackness of sleep overtook her, dinner lying cold and untouched on the table.

* * *

As soon as she woke up, Itsuku couldn't help but feel like shit.

She really wished that she could mentally turn off her Quirk sometimes, because right now, it was doing everything in its power to remind her, in painfully pristine detail, of her encounter with her mom. She knew that Inko hadn't deserved the cold shoulder she always presented, but despite the years, it was still hard to face her mother.

As she dressed in the dark hours of the early morning and prepared for the day. Nothing was detracting from her somber mood, however. She poked her head out of her room, finding it still dark and unoccupied. Nodding gently, she walked to the door, freezing as she caught the sight of her mother still sleeping on the couch, the tell-tale salt tracks of tears shining against the minimal light.

She really was…

Shaking her head and the guilt, Itsuku moved on, ignoring the painful twisting in her gut.

Quietly exiting the apartment in the early hours of the morning, she mentally made a note to apologize to her mother when she got back home, stealthily opening the front door as to not disturb Inko or be forced into confrontation. She blinked back the sudden rays of brightness and secured the door behind her. Craning her neck, she made to begin her day…

Only to stop mid-step as she came upon a very strange and slightly stressing scene. Her front yard, normally the boring opening to an apartment complex, had been turned into a campsite, complete with tent, camper, foldable chairs and a still roaring fire pit. Itsuku rubbed her temples in exasperation as she laid eyes upon a now-familiar figure roasting marshmallows in the dead hours of the morning.

"Good Morning Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu chirped from her folding chair, her twinkling eyes watching her branch and solidified sugar with an expression akin to fascination. "Now what to do next…the book said to use chocolate and graham crackers…" she muttered to herself as she held a small pocket-journal in one hand, squinting. Itsuku couldn't stop herself from face-palming.

"Knew I should have stayed in bed this morning…"

* * *

AN

Been a while folks. Been working and prepping for Pharmacy School so I haven't had a lot of time for fun stuff. Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter, and sorry for bullying Momo a bit. I'll treat her to some nice food later.

Thank you for reading and reviewing

-Woona the Cat


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